The Robert Stern Family Foundation
The Robert Stern Family Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. In its 2025 filing, it reported charitable grants to organizations working in areas including education, the arts, emergency medical services, reproductive health, environmental protection, and learning support.
The Robert Stern Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Robert Stern Family Foundation gave $220K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $220,018
- -15.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- -16.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,001
- +1.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $3,433,582
- -2.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (69% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Robert Stern Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Anchin - 3 Times Square 24Fl, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 840-3456
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Robert Stern Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania ($150K). Together the top 10 received $212K.
Grant Size Distribution
124 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 119 grants of 124 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Pennsylvania received 69% of the foundation’s grant dollars, California 24%, and New York 4%. Connecticut and Vermont each received 1%. These figures are shares by recipient state.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Robert Stern Family Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 20 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 105% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $220K (2025) to $356K (2020). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $220K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Charitable | $150,018 |
| The SYV Family School Los Olivos, CA | Charitable | $30,000 |
| Santa Barbara County Firefighters Benevolent Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Charitable | $16,500 |
| NYC Salt Inc New York, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Arts Outreach Los Olivos, CA | Charitable | $2,500 |
| Santa Barbara Zoo Santa Barbara, CA | Charitable | $2,500 |
| Global Health Works Foundation New York, NY | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Transplant Foundation Philadelphia, PA | Charitable | $1,500 |
| Friends of the Los Alamos Public Library Los Alamos, CA | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Himalayan Health Care Inc New York, NY | Charitable | $1,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,433,582 | $142,682 | $350,996 | $220,018 | 20 | $255,351 | $43,361 | $243,882 |
| 2024 | $3,514,094 | $219,936 | $397,642 | $260,506 | 24 | $300,224 | $121,911 | $240,210 |
| 2023 | $3,571,091 | $1,658,400 | $451,395 | $323,500 | 25 | $364,407 | $106,542 | $173,263 |
| 2022 | $2,364,086 | $401,855 | $389,094 | $259,255 | 24 | $302,113 | $61,027 | $180,403 |
| 2021 | $2,351,325 | $484,228 | $409,168 | $283,225 | 31 | $324,642 | $145,776 | $211,837 |
| 2020 | $2,276,265 | $299,213 | $461,434 | $355,900 | 46 | — | $24,898 | $171,662 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Robert Stern Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $244K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for educational, arts, health, emergency-service, environmental, and community organizations. For example, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania describes its own mission as encompassing education, research, and patient care. NYC Salt says it engages and empowers underserved New York City youth through visual arts, while Arts Outreach describes providing arts education and experiences in its community.
Other 2025 grantees describe work in emergency medical services (Lyme Ambulance Association), reproductive health (Planned Parenthood Federation of America), environmental law and protection (Earthjustice), and support for people facing learning obstacles (Lee Pesky Learning Center).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 20 grants totaling $220,018. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $150,018, with a median of $1,000. Its largest grants were $150,018 to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, $30,000 to The SYV Family School, and $16,500 to the Santa Barbara County Firefighters Benevolent Foundation. Other grants included $5,000 to NYC Salt, $2,500 each to Arts Outreach and Santa Barbara Zoo, and $2,000 to Global Health Works Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert Stern as president and Kathryn Hays Gonnion as treasurer.
The Robert Stern Family Foundation is led by Robert Stern, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert Stern
President
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
$12K (2020) → $0 (2025)
Kathryn Hays Gonnion
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
$12K (2020) → $12K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $12K, to Kathryn Hays Gonnion (Treasurer).
Frequently asked questions about The Robert Stern Family Foundation
How much does The Robert Stern Family Foundation give each year?
The Robert Stern Family Foundation gave $220K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $261K across 24 grants.
What is The Robert Stern Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Robert Stern Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $11,001, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Robert Stern Family Foundation give grants?
The Robert Stern Family Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (24%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (4 grants), Philadelphia, PA (2 grants), Los Olivos, CA (2 grants) and Santa Barbara, CA (2 grants).
Does The Robert Stern Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on The Robert Stern Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (20 grants).
Who are The Robert Stern Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Robert Stern Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania ($150,018), The SYV Family School ($30,000) and Santa Barbara County Firefighters Benevolent Foundation ($16,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 89% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Robert Stern Family Foundation?
The Robert Stern Family Foundation reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $255K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $244K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Robert Stern Family Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for educational, arts, health, emergency-service, environmental, and community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Robert Stern Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Robert Stern Family Foundation's EIN?
The Robert Stern Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1654921. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Robert Stern Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Robert Stern Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-robert-stern-family-foundation-morg_a0181259f38148cf9a37f53ba8486daa
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521654921_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Robert Stern Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-robert-stern-family-foundation-morg_a0181259f38148cf9a37f53ba8486daa},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from The Robert Stern Family Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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